The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-07-22


IS THE AVERAGE CHURCH
ATTENDANCE DIMIN-
ISHING?
There is no longer the estrangement
between the political and religious
press that existed in years gone by.
0ree religious subjects were kept out
of the secular newspaper, as too sacred
to be mixed among political articles of
discussion. Times change with the
years, distinctions are less marked, and
the people have come to understand
that moral and religious questions are
proper for consideration in all respect
able journals. The question is now
raised whether the average Sabbath
attendance at church has been dimin-
ishing the past twenty years; or was
church-going more general formerly
than now. Public journals have COM
mented on this subject, and assigned
different reasons for the falling off of
church attendants during the past
decade. 1t is charged that ministers
have not kept pace with the advanced
thought of the age, but are content to
follow in the old beaten track, preach
ing the WORKOUT dogmas enunciated
generations ago; that they are too tim
i'd to give new interpretations of truth,
which closer study of the scriptures,
aided by the helps of science, have re.
vealed; that for these reasons people
of thought, who respect the church, ex-
cuse themselves from attendance on
the regular Sunday services. These
criticisms have show of plausibility,
but are not just. There are ministers
in the different denominations who
keep abreast with the times; they
preach no new gospel, but divest it of
the traditional creeds with which it
has been hampered, thereby adapting
it more to the reason and common
sense, and at the same time rendering
it more in harmony with the true in.
tent of scriptural teaching. 1t is not
claimed that there will ever be new
revelation, but the present one will
serve its true design better when creed
makers shall cease attempting to for.
mulate the scriptures into questionable
| articles Of faith. The christian world
has been bound to creeds as with hoops
of iron, and departure from a creed,
which is only Of human devising. sub.
jects the free inquirer to the charge of
heresy. In ecclesiastical bodies con.
victions for heresy have been found on
the charge of departure from the creed
rather than from the teachings of the
scriptures, thus placing the authority
of the creed above the Bible. It is
doubtless true that many pulpits are
not supplied with the grade of talent
adapted to intelligent audiences. This
is a deficiency which the many theo
logical institutions are now attempting
to remedy. It does detract from a
preaching service for minister to ap-
pear before his audience without prop
er preparation. A labored attempt to
prove an admitted self.evident truth
is tiresome waste of time, and as pro-
fitless as to spend half hour in prov
ing that six and four make ten. The
suggestion frequently comes from the
religious press, that ministers, or at
least portion of them, would do more
effective service, if they gave but one
sermon on Sunday, and put their eff
forts into that one, instead of into two.
One well prepared sermon is more eff
fective than two poorly digested dis.
courses. Still there are hundreds of
clergymen who are capable of furnish
ing two instructive discourses weekly
for series of years. These criticisms
of ministers, if such they be called. are
nothing more than have in substance
often appeared in the religious papers.
If there has been decline of the aver
age church attendance from years ago
the excuse that the preaching has be.
come less instructive is not a sufficient
one.